Deep Thoughts and Little Happenings

  Prayer is having a conversation with our Heavenly Father. Talking to Him is giving Him our time and attention. It's acknowledging Him as our Father, our Creator, our Provider, our Protector, and the Lover of our souls. One way Father speaks to us is through His written word, the Bible, and He doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to the subject of asking. Nope! He clearly tells us to ask, and when we ask we will receive (Matthew 7:7). And then in today's verse, He tells us we don't have because we don't ask.  So why don't we ask?  I spent all week pondering that question. Short answer? Lack of confidence. Yep! I'm pretty sure that's why I don't ask as often as I should. And I especially have trouble asking for myself. Anyone else? My lack of confidence breaks down into three categories.  A lack of confidence in His desire to give me what I want. Which is totally silly! I know He delights in giving good things to His children, and He would neve

Have you ever noticed the way our Heavenly Father will give us with the same message over and over and over from different people and all kinds of situations until we understand what He's telling us?  Maybe He doesn't need to do that with you, but that's how He teaches me. Very gently. And He's super patient with all my questions. Oh! He doesn't give it to me all at once either. He carefully feeds them to me in bite size increments; giving me plenty of time to taste, savor, digest, and then practice using what I've learned.  Well, Father's been leading me to remember and understand quite a few things lately, and they all came together for me last Sunday afternoon. George and I were chatting with one of his cousins across the pond when she said, "Shy bairns get nowt."  I said, "What?" She said it again, and then she explained it as a saying meant to remind children they get nothing if they ask for nothing. Well, it wasn't long after we

I've been away, but I've not been idle. I've been healing and learning. Healing from all the grief our family has experienced in these last few years, and learning from the LORD during the healing process. No! I didn't quit life, but I did spend most of my time in our Heavenly Father's lap surrounded by His love and comfort. The problem was, I was a hot mess whenever I crawled out and tried to get back to living life as usual. Believe me when I tell you I've cried a lot of tears, but God was there to capture each one and continued to love and comfort me. He was also there to pick up the pieces when I unexplectedly boiled over like oatmeal. Believe me, it was just as messy and just as hard to clean up.  Please don't misunderstand, it wasn't because the people in my life weren't there for me, but many of them were grieving too. Each death brought more grief, bringing me to a place where I finally realized I needed someone to help me see my way forward.

Did you know there are two kinds of sweat glands? There are! If you look it up on Wikipedia, you'll find there are the eccrine glands which are pretty much all over your body, and the apocrine glands which are in specific places on your body (like your armpits).  Eccrine glands help regulate body temp.  Apocrine glands "produce an odorless oily, opaque secretion which then gains its characteristic odor from bacterial decomposition." Why am I even talking about this?! Well, I read the following verses this morning and my mind went there. Read what Paul wrote in  Colossians 2:9-10 (CSB)  and I'll try to explain my thinking. For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily  in Christ,  and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.  Think about it, we swim but the water we swim in never enters our body (unless we open our mouths and swallow it). But we sweat when we swim. Why?  Sweat helps regulate our body temperature. Sweat is a

I've been thinking a lot about how I perceive (interpret) a situation and my ability to maintain my joy through it. Follow me here... If I believe all things either come from the LORD or through His permissive will, and I believe He is always good and right, then why do I kick against the things I don't like or don't feel good? Isn't it from Him, for me, and meant for my good? Ugly conclusion? Facts can all be agreed upon, but when I allow my feelings to create doubt, I lose all my joy and peace. Both are still available, but I've chosen to focus on my perception of the situation---this doesn't feel good, I don't like it, this hurts; therefore, I conclude it must not be good and begin to question God.  So, is everything really open to interpretation?  Does my perception of my circumstances make them any less good for me?  Does my inability or unwillingness to admit God's doing something I don't understand prevent me from living well? Disobedience?  M

Anyone who has ever gotten a new pair of glasses knows the struggle of adjustment. Climbing stairs, stepping off a curb, and even reaching for something creates a need for added attention and care. The optometrist warns us against switching between our old and new glasses. Why? It creates added struggle and delays our ability to see with clarity through our new lenses. Jesus-followers encounter the same type of struggle. Our old selves see everything through the lens of our own understanding. Holy Spirit helps us see everything through the lens of God’s word. Yep! Reading God’s word causes us to see people and circumstances from God’s perspective, and our old understanding is challenged. It’s kind-of like putting on a new pair of prescription glasses. Every new perspective revealed in God’s word, challenges our perspective. I’m sorry to say, but just like those times when I’m tempted to wear my old glasses, I’m also tempted to refuse God’s perspective. I’ve even tried to justify